Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano range erupts in Chile

The previously dormant Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano range, in Chile has erupted sending dense clouds of ash and smoke into the sky in the best display by a non-Icelandic volcano this year.

The Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano range is collection of four interconnected volcanoes. It is the volcanic equivalent of a block of flats. It is located about 800km south of the Chilean capital Santiago.

Thousands of people have been evacuated with officials issuing the maximum warning level – red alert. Over 3,500 people are now in temporary shelters.

There have been a number of earthquakes and witnesses say there is a strong smell sulphur.

Being such a long narrow country it is inevitable that Chile would end up sharing its new found ash cloud with others. The city of Bariloche in Argentina has been ashed out with the obligatory closure of the local airport.

With the ash cloud starting to hang over the Andes Mountains that other rare phenomona – black snow – is very much on the cards.

The last time the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano range erupted was way back in 1960.